


strange things are happening

by inanotheruniverse



Series: love they say [1]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Ashlyn Harris/Ali Krieger - Freeform, F/F, Fluff, Kelley O'Hara/Emily Sonnet - Freeform, comic con au, maybe tooth rotting but hey we need that sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 19:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inanotheruniverse/pseuds/inanotheruniverse
Summary: Tobin scans the expanse filled with throngs of people milling around. Some of them wizards, some stormtroopers. She swears she even saw Hermione Granger walk by, animatedly talking to Rey who was gesturing at her lightsaber.But most of them are superheroes.or tobin and christen as comic con guests





	strange things are happening

Tobin Heath is lost.

Or at least, she’s starting to think that she is. But in a place as massive as the one she’s standing at right now, it isn’t so far off. Not with her tendency to wander in the worst possible moments.

Tobin looks up at the ceiling, searching for any sign to tell her which hall she has just walked into. But there’s nothing but countless banners of the same sign hanging from thin nylon ropes, and absolutely nothing to tell her where she is exactly.

She brings her gaze back down, feeling her phone vibrate in her hand. And when she reads it, she can’t stop the grin that spreads on her lips.

**_My Kate Kane ❤️  [1:03 PM]_ **

_Where are you? I miss you so much. :(_

That’s unfortunately the problem, because Tobin absolutely has no idea.

She fires a reply. _I think I’m lost. And I miss you too! Three weeks, babe. THREE._

And chuckles at the bunch of messages she next gets.

**_My Kate Kane ❤️  [1:03 PM]_ **

_Omg YOU WOULD_

_And, I know! Our schedules keep on overlapping. :’(_

_Baby, it’s starting. :( See you in an hour or two? I hope._

She sends a _YOU BETTER! Love you! Knock ‘em dead! But, you know, not literally._ before locking her phone and tucking it back into her pocket.

Tobin scans the expanse filled with throngs of people milling around. Some of them wizards, some stormtroopers. She swears she even saw Hermione Granger walk by, animatedly talking to Rey who was gesturing at her lightsaber.

But most of them are superheroes.

Not far from her left, she sees Doctor Strange flick her cape back, pretending to be Dracula to make a little Super Girl laugh. Tobin can’t help but laugh, too, at the face Doctor Strange makes—cross-eyed and her tongue lolling out.

Passing by on her right is a gaggle of teenage heroes, flashing their multitude of colored clothes ever so proudly. Tobin sees two Wonder Womans giggling at each other, as one points at a skewed wing on the tall, lanky Thor’s helmet.

“That’s like, the fifth time, Jamal.” Tobin overhears the same Wonder Woman say.

(And he _is_ tall. He’s almost twice as Kelley’s size, and then some. And if Kelley was here, Tobin’s sure she’d _marvel_.)

The other girl grins at him before saying, “It’s coz he’s so tall. He bumps into everything.”

Jamal can only scratch at his cheek shyly.

They stop a good five steps away from where Tobin has been watching them—she’s in a red hoodie with the hood up and primped to hide her face, so no one has really _noticed_ her yet—with the same grinning girl asking Jamal to bend down a little so that she can fix it.

Tobin finds herself grinning too as he murmured his flustered _thanks_ , and Wonder Woman simply just grabs his hand to lead the way.

Her eyes trail the group until they disappear into the crowd. Though, her heart swells when her gaze lands into a family of Captain Americas. The two kids seem to be twins, with their eyes almost similar to Tobin’s. They didn’t inherit their mothers’ pale skins. Nor their long blonde and mid-length ash blonde hair, as the two young girls’ hair are both red and almost fiery. But their moms look at them like they’re the best things to walk into their world, and that’s what gets Tobin most.

It’s not even their costumes, or everyone else’s who are wearing the same; nor the fact that Tobin wears _it_ too on occasion. Tobin just genuinely loves the overall good feeling this particular season brings.

She’s almost tempted to approach the family, but then there’s a hiss, and she hears a voice whisper, “ _Fuck,_ Tobin! Where have you been?!”

Tobin turns around, finding a harried Kelley behind her. Her hair is lightly tousled, though Tobin isn’t really sure if it’s been windswept or, well, _something_ else.

 _Something_ else being the woman Kelley has in tow, who Tobin waves hi to before shrugging at Kelley. “I was… walking around.”

“I have no idea how you got past Dawn and her guys,” Kelley tells her. “But they’ve been looking for you everywhere. We’re on in like, ten minutes.”

Tobin can only smirk at her, all smug and teasing, and her jaw sets in _that_ way superheroes’ do. (And Kelley has to roll her eyes, because, God, she really is perfect for it.)

“Listen, you don’t play a super soldier without picking up a trick or two.”

.

 

It’s really in their luck that someone’s bound to find out, recognize them, and scream at the top of their lungs, thus giving away their spot. (And there goes Tobin’s half-assed attempt of going incognito.)

Tobin expects the worst to happen—it’s not the first time she’s been swarmed by excited fans; being the first female to fill in Captain America’s shoes has its price after all—but the bustle around them doesn’t really stop like she thought it will. It simply lessens, as people start approaching them in couples and in groups, but they respectfully maintain a certain distance, enough to give her and Kelley room to move freely.

Tobin beams upon finding the twins she has been watching earlier. She kneels down and stretches her arms wide, beckoning them to step closer for a quick hug. They come running, squealing and giggling right on Tobin’s face, but she doesn’t mind that it hurt her ears or that their sloppy kisses slobbers her cheeks. These kinds of moments are Tobin’s favorite.

Kelley’s fairing the same, currently being squished into a tight hug by an eight year old girl who’s starting to cry. She pouts and _awwws_ as she wipes the little girl’s tears away, grinning at the gushing that pours out of the little girl’s heart.

“You’re—you’re my idol!” The little girl says in between her sniffling. Kelley smiles at her fondly, and reaches down to fix her plastic Thor helmet back into place. “I’m going to be just like you when I grow up.”

“Thank you,” the older woman replies. “That really means a lot to me. And no.” She taps the tip of her nose. “You’ll be ten times better.”

Kelley hugs her one more time before sending her back to her mom. A little boy approaches her next, asking for her autograph, and she feels the enthusiasm on her spine; the same kind that has been coursing through Tobin’s veins since she first set foot inside the San Diego Convention Center.

Tobin, for her part, has struck a conversation with a couple of teenagers. They’re not wearing any costumes since they’re aspiring comic artists and their main purpose is to showcase their works, and that piques Tobin’s interest right away, being into art too.

It’s all good, and happy, and fun, being surrounded by such dedicated fans, that both Tobin and Kelley almost feel bad when Dawn and her guys finally find them, swooping in to politely disperse the crowd and escort them to Hall H.

Kelley insists on taking a picture to preserve such a precious moment, and tells everyone to gather around as Emily, the woman she’s come with earlier—her rumored (but a hundred percent true) singer-slash-actress girlfriend—holds her phone out and immortalizes their first fan encounter on their first comic con experience.

…

 

It goes up on Emily’s official instagram account, creating more buzz in the paparazzi that have long been chasing the truth between her and Kelley, and endearing both fans and non-fans’ hearts as they stare at the grins on everyone’s faces.

...

 

(On their way to Hall H, Tobin comes across with Jamal’s group again. And she was right.

Kelley marvels and gapes at his tall form, while he’s adorably reduced to a blubbering mess when Kelley says, “Are you sure you shouldn’t be playing my role, because… _really_.”)

…

 

To say that Ballroom 20 is packed is quite an understatement. Christen doesn’t really have a word for it, an exact term to describe the sea of adoring people watching them that extends far back, past where her eyes can see.

(She’s quite sure that if one more body is squeezed in, the walls will crumble and the ceiling will cave in on them.)

But her heart is even fuller, bursting at the seams, because she never really dreamed of being at the receiving end of such profound support, and yet, here she is.

 _Here_ , sitting in a row full of women; from the cast, down to the screenwriter, the producer and the director present, and Christen is just really, really proud of that.

Their new Justice League movie has just premiered a week ago, but it already has garnered a lot of praises and tons of good feedback just for the casting decisions alone. They boast an all female Justice League lineup, and majority of their staff, crew and stunt people are all women.

Add that to the well-thought out storyline and impressive character development that their writers have managed to fit into the movie—one running for about two hours and a half—no one really wonders why it hit Box Office status in record time.

Christen remembers picking up a call from the love of her life after the news broke out, remembers sobbing happy tears on her phone and wishing that she was on the other side of the world because she really, _really_ needed a hug. It felt like a dream; it still does, if she’s being honest.

They’re well into the panel with the discussions rolling since almost an hour ago. The questions come steadily, and Christen finds herself having the best time in answering ones that are addressed to her.

(No one asks her about her diet regimen, or how she maintains such a clear skin, or anything superficial that just focuses on her appearance.

And this is why Christen loves comic con season.)

She keenly listens to Ali as the other woman gives her answer about what her favorite part is in playing Wonder Woman.

“The inspiration my character gives, definitely,” Ali says. She gestures with her free hand, fingers going up one by one as she starts listing down. “I’ve got all sorts of people coming up to me and telling me that they’re glad that I’m a woman, and that my character here is canonically bisexual. Honestly, it’s an honor.”

Christen nods in agreement with Ali’s words, clapping too, and laughing at the hoots and whistles the audience showers Ali with.

Another fan walks up to the mic, addressing Christen who grins and waves at her in greeting. The fan’s knees feel weak, evident in the way her voice shakes when she asks, “What was the first thing you thought when you got the script and saw that they’re putting Batwoman in the movie instead of Batman?”

“Honestly?” Christen starts to say, “I thought it was about time. I know that she’s not a part of it in the comics, and that she has her own thing. But DC’s cinematic world is way different from the comics, and including Batwoman in the movie gives her a chance to inspire a lot of girls and a lot of women out there, much like how Wonder Woman did. So, really, it’s about _damn_ time, and I can’t be more thankful that I’m part of it.”

The audience bursts into a loud applause, the effect doubled because Christen has never been known as one to swear. It’s so loud that the emcee has to ask them to settle down, before thanking her for giving such an eloquent answer.

It takes a short while for them to quiet down and allow another question to be aired.  It’s for her co-star, Alex, who plays the female version of Superman.

Christen is just turning off her mic to give way for Alex’s answer when she feels a soft nudge on her side. She starts a little, and then glares at a giggling Ali. “What?”

Ali’s nostrils flare as she stifles a laugh. “Have you seen Emily’s post on insta?”

“No,” Christen replies, shaking her head. She hasn’t had the chance to check her phone again once she has taken her seat behind the panel’s long table. “What about it?”

The other woman leans close, extending a hand to show Christen her phone. There, pulled up on her Instagram app, is the photo Emily took earlier. And Christen has to press her lips together to stop a huge grin (that almost automatically takes over her face whenever her girlfriend of two years is involved) from breaking out.

But Christen practically melts on the spot as she stares at the genuine delight written all over her girlfriend’s face, and the sparkle in her eyes that shines through the still picture. “Oh God, Tobin looks so adorable.”

Ali looks at her with nothing but pure amusement. “Should I go grab a pot before you turn into a puddle or…”

Christen playfully shoves the other woman away in retaliation. It doesn’t really catch the emcee’s attention, but Ali’s ensuing cackle reverberates inside the entire hall, making everyone curious.

Julie, their Aquawoman, leans towards her mic, and then turns to both Christen and Ali with a teasing grin. “Do we want to know?”

Christen shakes her hands _no_ animatedly, mouthing _it’s nothing_. But Ali isn’t _Ali_ if she doesn’t take this chance to fluster her co-star a little bit.

So she bends towards the mic in front of her before Christen can even switch it off, speaking on it gleefully, “Oh you’d want to. I think everyone would want to.”

The audience laughs at the teasing, while Christen continues to protest. She even pulls Ali’s hands back by her elbows, as the taller woman gestures at one of the tech guys to plug her phone in on the projector.

“Oh my God,” Christen groans in embarrassment, unable to watch the tech guy take Ali’s phone away.

Nothing has really happened yet, but the flush already grows on her cheeks, spreading all over her face and down to her neck. She helplessly buries her face in her hands, trying to hide the redness that has climbed up to the tips of her ears. And it only gets worse when the room erupts into loud cheers that almost blows the concrete ceiling away.

Despite her own warning, Christen twists around and peeks through the spaces she makes in between her fingers. Right there, on the huge screen (that was earlier playing their official trailer), is Emily’s Instagram post, blown up and out for everyone to see.

The cheers morph into good-natured jeering when the tech guy zooms in on the photo to bring Tobin and Kelley’ faces up and make them clearer. Christen laughs into the hand now cupping over her mouth, and then starts hitting Ali repeatedly as she’s facing her.

(And just because she can. Besides, _she’s_ the culprit.)

“No wonder she’s wriggling on her seat like someone set it on fire,” Alex quips. She waggles her eyebrows at the crowd before tilting her head to point at the photo. “I mean, who wouldn’t.”

“For the record,” Lindsey, their lady Flash joins in. “I’m completely straight, but I still would.”

The crowd grows loud again, agreeing and cheering at Lindsey’s statement. Christen gives in into the feeling of embarrassment that she has long lost against, and ultimately decides to just play along. “That happens all the time, trust me.”

“Which one? The seat wriggling, or straight girls going spaghetti?” Julie asks with a cheeky smirk.

Everyone knows about Christen’s tendency to be rendered flushed when the conversation goes beyond PG-13, and it’s something her co-stars like to test the limits of whenever they get the chance.

“Both,” Christen boldly answers, matches it with a sly smile that has Julie and Alex gaping at her in complete surprise. She makes a show of flicking her hair so it tumbles off of her shoulders, and then lightly dabs a few folds of tissue on her face to wipe the sweat away.

Everyone inside the hall hums a long _ooh_ , including Christen’s co-stars. She simply laughs it off, brings herself closer to the mic again, and says, “We should really go back to the questions, though. That poor guy has been waiting a while.”

The emcee agrees, but it seems like Julie is still not done. She politely cuts him off from asking the fan next in line to come forward, winks at their audience, and then turns to Christen again. “I’m gonna go take one for the team here, Chris. But you’ve seen The Avengers movie, right?”

“I have, yes.” Christen confirms with a nod. She was Tobin’s plus one during the movie’s special screening, though, she’s sure Julie knew that. She had to skip the scheduled promotion weekend in Japan after all.

“So, I gotta ask,” Julie drawls for effect. “One, was there a shirtless scene? And more importantly, were there abs?”

Roars of cheers fill Christen’s ears once more. Ali even rounds the table just to give Julie a high five, while Alex shouts into the mic. “Girl knows her priorities!”

Christen chuckles as she shakes her head. She presses a palm against her forehead, waiting for the noise to die down.

And when it does, she looks Julie dead in the eye, smirking. “I’m afraid you’ll just have to watch.”

...

 

Tobin is in the middle of answering a fan question when she feels her phone vibrate inside her pocket. She ignores it for the meantime, but does wrap up her answer on what it feels like to be the first female Captain America.

“So, yeah, it’s surreal,” she explains. “They could’ve gone with another Steve, but they chose to go with Sloane instead, which I’m incredibly grateful for. And you know, I grew up with so few female superheroes to look up to, so I’m just really, really glad that we now have Sloane Carter to add to the growing list.”

The fan thanks her for her answer, which she returns generously. She pulls away from her mic to give way to Kelley, who gets asked about the funniest moment during filming.

“Tobin—well, Sloane,” Kelley starts to answer, while Tobin fishes her phone out of her pocket, eyes still locked on the crowd in front of them. “She has this line that’s supposed to confuse Thor. But, I couldn’t pull the right face in time because of the one Tobin makes when she says it. It took us like, ten?” Kelley chances a glance at their director, Allie, for confirmation, who nods in reply. “Ten takes. And I laughed every single time.”

Xavier, the lean, muscled black guy who plays Tony Stark’s protege, and their Iron Man, chimes in to ask. “Wait, what was that scene?”

Kelley opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again, suddenly unsure if she’s allowed to say it or not. She covers the mic with a hand, and then leans back to ask the woman sitting four seats away from her. “Is it a spoiler?”

“Nah, it’s in the trailer,” Allie replies. “The law spiel, right?”

She nods, growing excited at the unspoken permission she has just been granted with. She returns her attention to the expectant crowd, and then removes her hand, talking once more. “You guys have seen the trailer, right?”

She continues at the collective _yes_ she gets. “So, there was this line where Sloane tells Thor, well, me, _you may be wielding the hammer, but I am the law_. And I tell her, _What?!_ ”

The crowd laughs at the expression that shows on Kelley’s face—another _gif-able_ moment that she’s sure her mentions will be flooded with mere hours from now—cracking up some more when they remember the exact scene Kelley is talking about.

Tobin, who’s busy going through the notifications that has piled up on her phone (in case her girlfriend has sent another message) and swiping right at the ones she plans to get to after the event, looks up too upon hearing her character’s name.

“And then Sloane goes, _because I’m the Captain!_ ” Kelley goes on. “ _Get it?_ And I just—”

She really finds it hard to go through that scene. It shows even now that she’s just recalling it, snorting out a laugh when Tobin’s face comes back to her memory at the same time the trailer rewinds to specifically show the scene. Kelley twists around, and then cracks up again, speaking in between laughs. “I die, _every time_ , I swear.”

“That was the best face I could make, okay.” Tobin comes to her own defense.

The questions continue, with Mark—their Doctor Banner—talking about his experience while filming Hulk’s scenes. Tobin half-listens, curiosity suddenly filling her as she taps her way to Twitter, following the notification she got from being tagged by Ashlyn, Ali’s partner and a new friend she’s gained from all those visits to her girlfriend’s set.

 **_@theashlynharris @tobinpheath_ ** _This is really what happens in their panels, dude. ¯_(ツ)_/¯_

Tobin plays the video attached. It looks taken from the platform’s right side, though, Tobin can see Christen clearly. Ali is in her right, saying something on her mic. She can’t hear it, what with her phone’s volume set to the lowest, but a few seconds into the video and Tobin figures she doesn’t really have to hear what was said after all. The blush on Christen’s face, matched with the mischievous look that Ali shot at her girlfriend are enough to give her an idea about what was going on.

She chuckles at the sight of Christen hitting Ali repeatedly, for once glad that she’s not in the receiving end of that because her girlfriend _does_ work out—even more so now that she’s Batwoman. And  contrary to what most people assume, she’s not (and never have been) a weakling.

Tobin locks her phone and gives her full attention to Xavier, who got asked next after Mark and has just finished thanking his fan. But an idea quickly pops in her head, and she forgets about the panel momentarily, leaning towards her mic with an impish grin.

“Uhm, guys, I need a favor.”

...

 

Ali heads towards the backstage exit of Ballroom 20 once the panel officially closes. They have a good twenty minutes to spare before their Women of DC panel, a break she’s planning to spend entirely on food and Ashlyn’s company.

(Ashlyn flew straight to San Diego after all, once she finished taping her guesting back in New York.)

Never mind that they’ve been explicitly told to stay within the area and not wander far, much less go to a different hall or to another floor (and their schedule manager is throwing Christen a knowing look while he’s saying this, while Christen stares right back at him like she has no idea what he’s talking about); the downsides of being on a tight schedule.

The taller woman meets Ali outside, barely catching up to the flash of dark silky hair that Ashlyn has waved at—one that looks exactly like Christen’s, but she swears Christen stayed in the waiting room for a power nap—and when Ali steps near, it’s already gone.

She’s greeted with a kiss on her cheek, and Ashlyn’s hand sliding against hers as she gets dragged to the row of booths that Ashlyn has been wanting to visit since this morning.

They’re on their sixth booth when Ali hears her phone _ding_. She taps on the notification and sees Tobin’s twitter handle. And she can't help but wonder what Tobin has tagged her to now, her curiosity growing at the captionless tweet with a video thumbnail displayed underneath **_@iamtherealAli_**.

Ali tugs at Ashlyn’s hand to get her attention. “Babe, look at this.”

Ashlyn simply shrugs, though, she has an inkling.

It’s proven right when Tobin pops up on the screen. Only her face is visible, and a small part of her red hoodie—but Ali has known her long enough to figure out it’s Tobin’s favorite Super Mario hoodie—and Tobin’s mouth opens to say, “Hey Ali! I heard you’ve been bullying my girlfriend, and I’ve got something to tell you.”

Tobin turns the camera around, revealing the entire crowd of Hall H on their feet, huddled together. Lining the front are Tobin’s castmates, and they all shout in perfect synch at Xavier’s _one,two, three._ “Cap’s gonna come get ya!”

Kelley quickly follows it with, “And Thor too! Demigod to demigod, yeah?”

It looks like it wasn't part of the skit, judging by the amused looks on her castmates’ faces, but it definitely adds to the hilarity of the whole thing.

The camera pans back to Tobin who shrugs. “Don’t say we didn't warn you. And oh, thanks for promoting our movie, baby!”

The footage cuts off at that. Ali turns to look at Ashlyn, her face pinched with bewilderment. “I’m seriously starting to question our friendship.”

Ashlyn can only gaze back at her, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

...

 

Christen sneakily slips inside Hall H, standing at the furthest back of the room. She can barely recognize Tobin’s form sitting by the raised platform given the huge distance, but they’re finally in the same room after three long weeks and right now, that’s the only thing she cares about.

Her timing is perfect as it seems, because the next question is addressed to Tobin. Christen makes quick work of fishing her phone out and pulling her own Instagram app, hitting record just as her girlfriend starts to speak.

“My advice to aspiring artists out there is to learn your craft. Know what you’re good at and never stop improving it. Work harder on the things that you’re not. Also, patience will go a long way, so will humility.”

Christen would very much like to march to the front and kiss her, but she’s never been one to make a scene. So she just posts the clip on her Instagram page, a small gesture of support for the girl that owns her whole heart.

 **_christenampress_ ** _Wise words from a very wise girl._

...

 

Tobin slowly wanders down the third floor’s hallway, her eyes fleeting between her phone screen and the carpeted floor. She’s due for her next panel in ten minutes, which sucks because it doesn’t really give her enough time to sneak in into whichever room her girlfriend currently is. Not even the luxury to scroll through her twitter feed.

It’s only enough for a bathroom break, a quick snack from the nearby vendo machine, and skimming through her recent mentions.

The newest is from Ali, a reply on the clip she tweeted a while ago. It’s a picture of her with a huge group of Wonder Woman cosplayers—a size that only one Ali Krieger can gather—all of them mirroring the superhero’s famed pose.

Ali is standing in the forefront, feet apart and both hands propped on her hips. She’s in her white button up, tight black jeans and white Louboutins, her chin jutting out and looking like every bit of the Wonder Woman that she is.

Tobin chuckles, and then laughs at the caption and the first few replies listed beneath it.

 **_@iamtherealAli_ ** _This. Is. War._

 **_@kylekrieger_ ** _omg oMG OMG_

 **_@meganrapinoe_ ** _lmao squad goals af_

 **_@tobinslipbite_ ** _props to the guy at the back rockin ww’s costume_

Tobin goes back to her mentions, resolving to reply later when she gets the time. She taps on the next, a tweet from Kelley that she quoted from Christen herself (and Tobin’s back to cursing at the limited time, because _how could she miss that_ ).

 **_@itsmekelley @tobinpheath_ ** _Tmw you’ve been searching for so long and someone else finds her_

There’s a thumbnail of the picture Christen has tweeted, and as small as it is, Tobin still spots her girlfriend’s face pressed against Emily’s. They both have a hand underneath their chin, Emily mimicking Christen’s pose.

Tobin feels the longing she’s managed to tamp down reel back, even stronger than the time she broke a few bones after an arduous stunt and Christen couldn’t fly to Portland to see her.

She taps on _Reply_ , sending a slew of crying emojis and broken hearts that she’s sure one of her friends—and all her fans, really—is bound to screen capture and immortalize. But it’s been three weeks, Tobin has long stopped bothering to hide how much she misses Christen at this point.

Their schedules have been continuously overlapping ever since promotions for both of their movies have started, and Tobin’s about to go stir crazy. She’s in the same state with Christen for the first time in three weeks, in the exact same building, and yet, she still hasn’t seen one strand of Christen’s hair.

The new message she got from her is a consolation, though. An _I love you_ and three kisses, but Tobin very much prefers the real ones.

She fires a quick _It’s almost 5 and I haven’t seen you yet. This isn’t funny anymore._ , sighing as she puts her phone away when she reaches the designated room panel’s entrance.

Tobin makes a quick touch up on her appearance, coiffing her bangs and her hair by running her fingers through it. Even though there’s not much to freshen up since she has prioritized comfort over style, she still wants to look her best.

She pushes the sleeves of her hoodie up to her elbows, tugs at the hem; and then she takes a deep breath before twisting the door handle down and pushing the door open to step inside.

Tobin is met with a silent crowd, and confused faces that are far too many to count. She then glances at the line of tables by the platform, expecting to see Kelley filling her in with her animated gestures, but her own face drains all of its color when she sees the occupants sitting behind.

“This… doesn’t look like The Avengers panel…”

She grimaces in chagrin, her whole face crumpling. Then, she rubs a hand at the back of neck as she says, “I think I’m in the wrong hall.”

Laughter rolls all around the room, though, it isn’t unkind. It’s just that, Tobin genuinely looks like a stunned and confused kid who got caught touching something she isn’t supposed to, and everyone else can’t help but find it endearing.

“I’m afraid it’s not,” the emcee croons into his mic, the attendees piping down so he can be heard. “Unless there’s some crossover we don’t know about, which we’re totally down, by the way.”

The crowd’s excitement shoots up again, amplified by the emcee’s shout of _am I right, am I right_ , left and right.

Tobin lets out an embarrassed laugh, her eyes disappearing into behind her laugh lines. Then, she yells above the noise. “Not really up to me!”

It soon morphs into giddy cheers when she raises her hand and (adorably) shyly waves at one of the panelists sitting at the right side. “Hi babe!”

Christen closes her eyes, catching her bottom lip beneath her teeth amidst the huge grin she’s trying to stifle—her usual reaction when Tobin does something stupid yet adorable, and she’s completely powerless against it.

A cackling Ali picks up Christen’s limp hand, waving it back at Tobin. In turn, Christen jokingly hits the taller woman’s stomach. She pulls her hand back, and then leans in towards her mic, her gaze never leaving Tobin’s form (that she terribly misses). “Babe—”

She’s cut off by a series of shouts and hoots—most from the audience but Christen swears Ali’s is the loudest—which she waits to trickle down a little before speaking again. “Your room’s on the floor below.”

“It is?” Tobin tilts her head, causing a fan from the audience to scream _Tobin Heath, you’re so cute!_

“I know, right?” Christen cheekily agrees. “I gotta say, I’m a lucky girl.”

Tobin cups a hand over the back of her neck again, scuffing on the carpeted floor with the tip of her shoes. She mumbles a shy _thank you_ , both to the fan and to her girlfriend whose open gestures of affection is probably something she’d never get used to. Then, she fixes her gaze at Christen once more, the other woman’s eyes staring back at her with such earnest adoration that Tobin feels warm all over.

She winks at her—and yes, she knows how to do that _smoothly_ now, having been forced to perfect it as part of Sloane’s personality—and then tells everyone in the room. “I’m sorry for interrupting your panel! I’m late to mine so I need to get going. Bye baby!”

She blows a kiss towards Christen’s direction. And as the door closes, the teasing rises. But Christen thinks it’s all worth it.

...

 

The participants are just as alive as they have been since the convention kicked off in the morning, a fact that greatly amazes Tobin. Because here she is, completely exhausted after just two panels and a fansign, in her red Super Mario hoodie and the pair of the most comfortable jeans and shoes she owns. And yet, she’s weak compared to the attendees milling around in their full costumes, and the various artists who have been trying to showcase their work and get them to sell in any way possible.

She takes in more of the view, her eyes settling on the form of the one person she’s been dying to come close to the past three weeks. She’s currently hunched on the table, writing a quick note to a teenage boy sitting on a small wheelchair.

Tobin’s eyes grow tender as she watches Christen push off of her chair to stand, going around the table and sinking to her knees to give him a tight hug. Her girlfriend has always had a big heart, this she has always known, but it’s never going to stop being a sight to behold.

Christen waves him goodbye before walking back to her previous seat. Her fansign should be over anytime soon, so Tobin is spending the remaining minutes watching her girlfriend have one of the best times of her life, and give her fans the same.

And then, it’s done. Christen’s given some last minute instructions by her handler, perhaps telling her what time she needs to get back to the hotel, and is let go once the woman in glasses receives Christen’s word.

Tobin’s grin is big when Christen begins trudging towards her direction, half-skipping and half-running that the hems of her blue and white plaid are swishing and swaying along with her movements. It’s so cute that Tobin’s sure her smile is going to stick to her face.

In the last few steps, Christen barrels into her full speed, with Christen’s arms wrapping around her neck as she envelops Tobin into a hug, squeezing her tight. Tobin squeezes right back, the arms encircled around Christen’s waist securing her as she picks her up off the ground for a few seconds.

Christen squeals in surprise, though she ends up laughing. She knows that this is just Tobin’s way of proving a point, showcasing her strength after Christen has teasingly told her once that she’s bulking up more than Tobin currently is.

(And Tobin just really, _really_ missed her, too, that even with the proximity, it still doesn’t feel enough.)

“I missed you so much,” Christen says, refusing to let go even after the taller woman has carefully set her back down.

Tobin pulls her impossibly closer, determined to erase every scant distance between them after three weeks of waiting. She plants a soft yet lingering kiss on Christen’s forehead, fully aware of where they currently are. Though, if it was up to her, she’d like to kiss the living daylights out of her girlfriend. But there are kids everywhere and they both have images to maintain, and so she has to settle for the most innocent ones to stave her off until they’re alone.

“I missed you too,” Tobin mumbles against the warm skin. “In case you couldn’t tell from the hundred messages and maybe fifty-eight voicemails.”

“I was starting to doubt if you meant it at ninety-nine.”

“I fell asleep in my trailer, okay?” Tobin reasons. It was a grueling day, what with filming one of the film’s biggest fight scenes. “I think Kelley has a pic of me drooling saved somewhere in her phone.”

Christen snorts out a giggle, and then buries her face on Tobin’s neck, feeling embarrassed by the sound. Tobin, in turn, just rubs her back, pressing a kiss on every inch of Christen’s hair that her lips can reach.

Then, “Want to go get dinner downtown? I found this really good place that serves—”

Christen lifts her head and looks up, squinting her eyes at Tobin. “If you say shawarma, I swear to God, Tobin Heath.”

“Tacos,” Tobin continues with a chuckle.

The smaller woman hums, weighing the offer, though she agrees anyway. “Okay.”

“Shawarma can be for tomorrow night.”

Christen rolls her eyes, disentangles herself from her girlfriend and starts walking away, throwing words over her shoulder. “Get it with your Marvel friends.”

...

 

It’s almost midnight by the time Christen gets the chance to fiddle with her phone. Tobin is snoring right beside her, but she doesn’t mind. Not when Tobin’s weight is pressed against her side, and Tobin’s chin is resting on her shoulder.

There’s a chunk of messages from her co-stars that Christen giggles at, a couple or three from Ashlyn, and one from Ali who tells her that she’s staying with her partner and that the room is completely theirs.

A couple of her celebrity friends have tagged her on their tweets, mainly talking about the video that she earlier found out was posted by her very friend—the betrayal, _unbelievable_ —and a bunch of replies on her lone Instagram post for the day, with their friends gushing about how adorable she and Tobin are.

“Baby, go to sleep,” she hears Tobin mumble, and smiles at the lips she feels brushing on the bare part of her shoulder.

Christen heels and sets her phone down, but not before retweeting the picture Tobin had tweeted earlier. It was the both of them, with her arms loosely wound around Tobin’s waist, and one of Tobin’s arms thrown over her shoulders. Her eyes are closed as Tobin’s lips pressed on the corner of her forehead.

It’s simple, yet, it’s probably one of Christen’s favorite photos. Though, maybe, she loves the caption even more.

**_@tobinpheath Reunited at last with @christenampress. And it’s like waking up after 70 years of cryogenic sleep._ **

**Author's Note:**

> hello! i'm kinda new to the fandom and a little bit rusty too as i haven't written in a while. but i would love to talk to anyone about tc! hmu on geekmythologys.tumblr.com! :)


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